Metal card

ABSTRACT

A card core includes a body defining a cutout and a discontinuity. The cutout includes an opening in the body defined by an edge and the discontinuity includes a channel defined by the body extending from an outer surface of the body to the cutout. The cutout is sized and configured to define a gap between an element positioned in the cutout and the edge to electromagnetically isolate the element from the body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/337,123, filed Mar. 27, 2019, and entitled “METAL CARD,” which is anational phase entry under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of international patentapplication no. PCT/US2019/020919, filed Mar. 6, 2019, and entitled“METAL CARD,” which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/639,535, filed Mar. 7, 2018, and entitled “DUAL INTERFACE METALCARD,” the disclosures of each of which is incorporated herein byreference in its respective entirety.

BACKGROUND

Information carrying cards provide identification, authentication, datastorage and application processing. Such cards or parts include keycards, identification cards, telephone cards, credit cards, bankcards,tags, bar code strips, other smart cards and the like.

Current information carrying cards use plastic or other polymer materialcores. Current materials fail to provide a desired tactile response andstrength. For example, information carrying cards need to withstandflexing to protect identifying components from damage as well as offergood durability during use. In addition, information carrying cardsshould be appealing, in terms of appearance and feel, to the end user,in order to facilitate use and adoption of the information carryingcard. The use of conductive materials for information carrying cards hasbeen disfavored due to coupling (i.e., inductive, conductive, etc.)between circuit elements and the conductive material when used to forman information carrying card.

SUMMARY

In various embodiments, a card core is disclosed. The card core includesa body defining a cutout and a sinuous line discontinuity. The cutoutincludes an opening in the body defined by an edge and the sinuous linediscontinuity includes a channel defined by the body including at leastone curved portion and at least one straight portion. The sinuous linediscontinuity extends from an outer surface of the body to the cutout.

In various embodiments, a credential card is disclosed. The credentialcard includes a card core, a first material layer, and a second materiallayer. The card core includes a body defining a cutout and a sinuousline discontinuity. The cutout includes an opening in the body definedby an edge and the sinuous line discontinuity comprises a channeldefined by the body including at least one curved portion and at leastone straight portion. The sinuous line discontinuity extends from anouter surface of the body to the cutout. The first material layer isdisposed over a first side of the card core and the second materiallayer is disposed over a second side of the card core. The firstmaterial layer is coupled to the second material layer in a positionsubstantially aligned with the cutout defined by the body of the cardcore.

In various embodiments, a card core is disclosed. The card core includesa body defining a cutout and a discontinuity. The cutout includes anopening in the body defined by an edge and the discontinuity includes achannel defined by the body extending from an outer surface of the bodyto the cutout. The cutout includes a first portion having a firstgeometry and a second portion having a second geometry and is sized andconfigured to define a gap between an element positioned in the cutoutand the edge to electromagnetically isolate the element from the body.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a card core of a dual interface carddefining a cutout and a sinuous line discontinuity, in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates the card core of FIG. 1 including a first circuitelement positioned in a first portion of the cutout and contact padsformed in a second portion of the cutout, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 3 illustrates a front view of the card core of FIG. 2 having asecond circuit element coupled to the contact pads formed in the secondportion of the cutout, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of forming a credential cardincluding a card core, in accordance with some embodiments

FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a credential core includingthe card core of FIG. 2 and a thermoplastic layer disposed on a firstside of the card core, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates a card core having a sinuous line discontinuityincluding a first straight line segment and a second straight linesegment defining a single flexible finger, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a card core having an sinuous line discontinuityincluding an extended straight line portion and a truncated straightline portion, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates a card core having a straight line discontinuity, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 9 illustrates an card core defining a cutout including a portionextending from a first edge of the card core, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates a finished credential card incorporating the cardcore of FIG. 9 , in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to a dual interface metal cardhaving a current notch formed therein to reduce eddy currents generatedin a metal card core. The dual interface metal card has a circuit corepositioned between a first metal portion and a second metal portion. Thefirst and second metal portions each define a cutout, such as an antennacutout. The first and second metal portions further define adiscontinuity extending from the cutout to a first edge of the metalcard core.

FIG. 1 illustrates a card core 2 of a dual interface card, in accordancewith some embodiments. The card core 2 includes a body 4. In theillustrated embodiment, the body 4 includes a generally rectangularshape defined by a plurality of short edges 12 a, 12 b and a pluralityof long edges 14 a, 14 b, although it will be appreciated that the metalcore 2 can include any suitable shape, such as any suitable regular orirregular geometric shape (e.g., square, rectangle, circle, trapezoid,rhombus, triangle, etc.). The body 4 may include any suitable material,such as a metal material, a partially metal material, a conductivenon-metal material, a non-conductive non-metal material, and/or anyother suitable material. The body material may be selected to provideone or more predetermined features, such as a feel, strength,resiliency, harmonic, and/or other feature, to a card formed using thecard core 2. Example materials include, but are not limited to,stainless steel, tungsten, spring steel, etc. In some embodiments, thebody 4 may include a combination of conductive and/or non-conductivematerials. Example non-conductive materials include, but are not limitedto, wood, ceramics, non-conductive plastics, etc.

In some embodiments, the body 4 defines a void or cutout 8. The cutout 8may include multiple portions each having separate geometries. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the cutout 8 includes a firstportion 8 a defined by a circular opening in the body 4 and a secondportion 8 b defined by a square opening in the body 4, although it willbe appreciated that each of the cutout portions 8 a, 8 b may have anysuitable geometry. As shown in FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, two or morecutout portions 8 a, 8 b may overlap such that the first cutout portion8 a is continuous with the second portion 8 b. In some embodiments, thecutout 8 is positioned adjacent to a first short edge 12 a of the cardcore 2.

In some embodiments, the body 4 may define a plurality of cutouts 8 eachhaving one or more portions. The plurality of cutouts 8 may be spacedabout the body 4 such that each of the cutouts is separated by a portionof the body 4. For example, in some embodiments, the body 4 may define afirst cutout 8 as illustrated in FIG. 1 and a second cutout (not shown)located adjacent to a second short edge 12 b of the body 4. Although thecard core embodiments discussed herein include a single cutout 8defining multiple portions, it will be appreciated that the variousstructures, systems, and methods disclosed herein apply equally to cardcores having multiple cutouts and are within the scope of thisdisclosure and the appended claims.

Each portion 8 a, 8 b of the cutout 8 may be sized and configured toreceive a circuit element therein. Each portion 8 a, 8 b of the cutout 8defines an opening such that the a circuit element positioned within thecutout 8 can be effectively electromagnetically isolated from thesurrounding material of the body 4. The effective spacing (or gap 26,see FIG. 2 ) between a circuit element and the edge 9 of the cutout 8may vary based on the circuit element positioned within the cutout 8 (ora portion 8 a, 8 b thereof). For example, in some embodiments, eachcircuit element positioned within the cutout 8 may be spaced at least300 microns, at least 500 microns, at least 700 microns, and/or anyother suitable spacing from the edge 9 of the cutout 8 to effectivelyisolate a circuit element positioned within the cutout 8 from thematerial of the body 4. It will be appreciated that the spacing may belarger and/or smaller based on the circuit element positioned within thecutout 8 and/or properties of the card core 2 (for example, based on thematerial of the card core 2).

In some embodiments, the body 4 defines a sinuous line discontinuity 10extending from an outer edge (such as first short edge 12 a) of the body4 to an inner edge 10 of the cutout 8. The sinuous line discontinuity 10includes a break or channel in the body 4 such that a continuouscircular path does not exist within the body 4 that extends around thecutout 8. The sinuous line discontinuity 10 can include any suitable gapwithin the body 4 sufficient to effectively prevent electromagneticcoupling between a first edge 20 a and a second edge 20 b of the body 4defining the sinuous line discontinuity 10. For example, in someembodiments, the sinuous line discontinuity 10 includes a channel havinga width of about 300-900 microns, at least 300 microns, at least 500microns, at least 700 microns, up to 1000 microns, up to 2000 microns,etc., although it will be appreciated that discontinuities of greaterand/or lesser size can be used and are within the scope of thisdisclosure.

In some embodiments, the sinuous line discontinuity 10 defines aplurality of flexible fingers 22 a, 22 b, for example, a first flexiblefinger 22 a and a second flexible finger 22 b. the flexible fingers 22a, 22 b may be arranged in a parallel relationship and are configured toprovide a flex profile similar to the continuous portion of the body 4when a force is applied to a card including the card core 2. Forexample, and as discussed in greater detail below, the card core 2 maybe incorporated into a credential card, such as a credit card, biometriccard, etc. The credential card may include a plurality of additionallayers and/or materials, such as, for example, thermoplastic layers,adhesive layers, polymer layers, etc. The length and width of each ofthe flexible fingers 22 a, 22 b may be selected such that the portion ofthe credential card containing the sinuous line discontinuity 10provides a flex profile similar to the solid portions of a finishedcredential card. The flexible fingers 22 a, 22 b are configured toprevent cracking, breaking, and/or deformation of the card core and/oradditional material layers formed on and/or around the sinuous linediscontinuity 10.

The sinuous line discontinuity 10 and the flexible fingers 22 a, 22 bare configured to distribute pressure applied to a finished credentialcard incorporating the card core 2 to allow bending in the finishedcredential card. The sinuous line discontinuity 10 and the flexiblefingers 22 a, 22 b are selected so as to provide a flex profile similarto the remainder of the finished credential card (i.e., the portion ofthe credential card incorporating the solid sections of the body 4) toprevent cracking of any layer of the finished credential card whenbending pressure is applied. The sinuous line discontinuity 10 preventscard stress and breakage by distributing the surface area and torquepressure of an applied force evenly across the finished credential card(and the card core 2), avoiding cracking and/or breakage in a finishedcredential card or similar card containing the card core 2.

In some embodiments, the flexible fingers 22 a, 22 b are sized andconfigured such that each flexible finger 22 a, 22 b is configured toflex out-of-plane at a maximum predetermined angle with respect to thean adjacent portion of the body 4. For example, in some embodiments, theeach flexible finger 22 a, 22 b is configured to provide a flex profilethat allows an out-of-plane flex of up to 120° with respect to anadjacent planar portion of the body 4. The flex profile of each of theflexible fingers 22 a, 22 b is selected to prevent cracking, marking,and/or permanent bending of a finished credential card that incorporatesthe card core 2 therein. In some embodiments, the flex profile isselected such that each flexible finger 22 a, 22 b provides a similarresponse in the area of the sinuous line discontinuity 10 as would beprovided by a solid portion of the body 4 positioned in the samelocation, although it will be appreciated that each flexible finger 22a, 22 b can provide a greater or lesser flex if necessary to provide aproper flex response of a finished credential card.

In some embodiments, the sinuous line discontinuity is configured toreduce and/or eliminate eddy currents generated in the body 4 duringoperation. For example, in some embodiments, exposure of a card core 2comprising a metallic, semi-metallic, or other conductive material toone or more electromagnetic signals typically generates one or more eddycurrents in the conductive body 4. Eddy currents flow in a closed loopwithin the conductor (e.g., body 4). The sinuous line discontinuityeliminates any conductive loop around the cutout 8 and effectivelyreduces the area available for eddy currents. The sinuous linediscontinuity effectively reduces and/or eliminates eddy currents (andother signals) generated in and/or by the body 4. Although a singlesinuous line discontinuity is illustrated, it will be appreciated that acard core 2 can include a plurality of cutouts 8 each having one or morediscontinuities 10 extending from an outer edge 12 a, 12 b, 14 a, 14 bof the body 4.

In some embodiments, the sinuous line discontinuity 10 includes aplurality of curved portions 34 a-34 d coupled by a plurality ofsubstantially straight portions 36 a-36 c. The plurality ofsubstantially straight portions 36 a-36 c each extend substantiallyparallel to each other over a predetermine length of the card core 2. Insome embodiments, the sinuous line discontinuity 10 defines a smooth,repetitive oscillating curve (e.g., a sinusoidal curve), although itwill be appreciated that the discontinuity 10 can include sharp (e.g.,non-smooth) curved portions and/or non-parallel portions and suchsinuous line discontinuity 10 is within the scope of this disclosure. Invarious embodiments, the card core 2 can include a plurality of cutouts8 each having at least one sinuous line discontinuity 10 extending froman inner edge of the cutout 9 to an outer edge 12 a, 12 b 14 a, 14 b ofthe body 4.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the sinuous linediscontinuity 10 includes a first portion 38 extending from the cutout8, a plurality of substantially straight portions 34 a-34 c extending ata non-parallel angle with respect to the first portion 38, a pluralityof curved portions 32 a-32 d coupling the substantially straightportions 34 a-34 cm each having a predetermined curvature over apredetermined area, and an second portion 40 extending at apredetermined angle with respect to the substantially straight portions36 a-36 c to a first edge 12 a of the card core 2. It will beappreciated that the curved portions 32 a-32 d can include any suitablecurvature, such as, for example, any curvature between 45°-315°,135°-225°, 160°-200°, 90°-270° and/or any other suitable curvature. Itwill be appreciated that the a card core 2 can include additional and/ordifferent discontinuities, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 5-6 .

The cutout 8 and/or the sinuous line discontinuity 10 may be formedusing any suitable method. For example, in various embodiments, thecutout 8 and/or the sinuous line discontinuity 10 may be formed usingone or more of a milling technique, an etching technique, a moldingtechnique, and/or any other suitable technique. It will be appreciatedthat the cutout 8 and the sinuous line discontinuity 10 may be formedusing the same and/or different techniques. In some embodiments, thesinuous line discontinuity 10 is formed in the card core 2 prior to thecard core 2 receiving any circuit elements within the cutouts 8.

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate the card core 2 of FIG. 1 having a plurality ofcircuit elements positioned within the cutout 8, in accordance with someembodiments. As shown in FIG. 2 , in some embodiments, a first circuitelement 16 a, such as an antenna 18, may be positioned within a firstportion 8 a of a cutout 8. The antenna 18 includes a plurality ofconcentric wire coils. The antenna 18 can include any suitable antenna,such as a printed antenna including one or more circular coils. Althougha generally circular antenna is illustrated, it will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the antenna 18 can have any suitable shapeand/or any suitable number of windings (or coils). In some embodiments,the first circuit element 16 a can include a minimum thickness, such as,for example, a thickness between 50 and 100 microns, between 75 and 90microns, and/or any other suitable thickness. The thickness of the firstcircuit element 16 a may be less than, greater than, and/or equal to thethickness of the card core 2.

The first circuit element 16 a is positioned within the first cutoutportion 8 a such that a gap 26 is maintained between the edge 9 of thecutout 8 and the outer edge of the first circuit element 16 a. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the antenna 8 is positioned toensure a gap 26 suitable gap, such as at least 300 microns, at least 500microns, at least 700 microns, 300-900 microns, up to 1000 microns, upto 2000 microns, and/or any other suitable gap is maintained between anouter coil of the antenna 18 and the edge 9. Although specificembodiments are discussed herein with respect to the illustrated circuitelements, it will be appreciated that the gap 26 can include any gapsufficient to electromagnetically isolate the first circuit element 16 afrom the material of the body 4.

In some embodiments, the gap 26 is selected based on one or moredimensions of the card core 2 and/or a credential card formed from thecard core 2. For example, in some embodiments, the gap 26 is a distanceequal to at least the width of a finished credential card formed usingthe card core 2. A finished credential card may have any thicknesssufficient to contain the card core 2, one or more circuit elementspositioned within the cutout 8, and/or any additional layers formedaround the card core 2. For example, a finished credential card may havea thickness of at least 700 microns, at least 750 microns, at least 800microns, etc.

In some embodiments, the first circuit element 16 a is coupled to aplurality of contact pads 24 a, 24 b positioned within the second cutoutportion 8 b of the cutout by a plurality of leads 28 a, 28 b. Thecontact pads 24 a, 24 b are sized and configured to couple a secondcircuit element 16 b (see FIG. 3 ), positioned within the second cutoutportion 8 b, to the first circuit element 16 a. The contact pads 24 a,24 b are positioned within the second cutout portion 8 b to allow thesecond circuit element 16 b to be coupled to the contact pads 24 a, 24 bwhile maintaining at least a second predetermined gap 30 (see FIG. 3 )between the edge 9 of the cutout 8 and the second circuit element 16 b.In some embodiments, the contact pads 24 a, 24 b are omitted and thesecond circuit element 16 b may be directly coupled or not coupled tothe first circuit element 16 a.

In some embodiments, the first circuit element 16 a, the contact pads 24a, 24 b, and the leads 28 a, 28 b are formed integrally on a supportingfilm 17 (see FIG. 5 ). The supporting film 17 is sized and configured tobe received within the cutout 8 while maintain the predetermined gaps26, 30 between the circuit elements 16 a, 16 b and the edge 9 of thecutout 8. The first circuit element 16 a, the contact pads 24 a, 24 b,and/or the leads 28 a, 28 b may be formed integrally on the supportingfilm 17 using any suitable formation method. For example, in someembodiments, the first circuit element 16 a, the contact pads 24 a, 24 band/or the leads 28 a, 28 b are printed circuit elements that areprinted onto the supporting film 17 using a process to print conductivetraces and/or other materials. Although embodiments are discussed hereinincluding printed circuit elements, it will be appreciated that thefirst circuit element 16 a, the contact pads 24 a, 24 b and/or the leads28 a, 28 b may be formed using any suitable method.

FIG. 3 illustrates the card core 2 of FIG. 2 having a second circuitelement 16 b positioned within a second portion 8 b of the cutout 8. Thesecond circuit element 16 b can include any suitable circuit element,such as, for example, an active circuit element (e.g., a direct contactSystem-on-Chip (SoC) element) 32. The second circuit element 16 b may bepositioned over and coupled to the contact pads 24 a, 24 b positionedwithin the second cutout 8 b. The second circuit element 16 b iselectromagnetically isolated from the body 4 of the card core 2. Forexample, in the illustrated embodiment, the direct contact SoC element32 is limited to direct contact coupling between the SoC element 32 andthe antenna 18 and does not include any inductive coupling elements,effectively isolating the SoC element 32 from the material of the body4. In some embodiments, the second circuit element 16 b may bepositioned a predetermined distance from the edge 9 of the cutout 8 suchthat a second circuit element 16 b capable of inductive, conductive, orother contactless coupling is effectively isolated from the material ofthe body 4.

In some embodiments, the contact pads 24 a, 24 b and the first circuitelement 16 a are maintained in a co-planar relationship (i.e., areparallel with respect to a plane defined by the body 4). When thecontact pads 24 a, 24 b and the first circuit element 16 a areco-planar, a second circuit element 16 b coupled to the contact pads 24a, 24 b will be positioned out-of-plane (i.e., above or below) the firstcircuit element 16 a. In such embodiments, the second circuit element 16b is coupled to the first circuit element 16 a only through the leads 28a, 28 b and does not include any additional coupling (i.e., inductive,conductive, etc.) between the second circuit element 16 b and the firstcircuit element 16 a.

In some embodiments, the second circuit element 16 b includes a secondantenna (not shown). The second antenna can have a differentconfiguration as compared to the antenna 16 (e.g., greater and/or lesserantenna area, larger/smaller material, different shape, etc.) such thatthe second antenna produce different responses as compared to theantenna 16 when each is simultaneously exposed to the sameelectromagnetic signal.

In some embodiments, the card core 2 and the plurality of circuitelements 16 a, 16 b positioned within the cutout 8 can be coupledbetween one or more additional layers, materials, and/or surfaces toform a credential core and/or a finished credential card (e.g., acredit/debit card, and ATM or bank card, an identification card, a stateissued license or identification (e.g., driver's license), a securitybadge, a loyalty card, biometric card, etc.). The additional layers caninclude any suitable materials, such as, for example, metal, plastic,vinyl, and/or other materials.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method 100 of forming a credentialcard including a card core 2, in accordance with some embodiments. Atstep 102, a card core 2 including a body 4 defining at least one cutout8 is formed. The card core 2 can be formed using any suitable technique,such as, for example, pressing, stamping, milling, molding, etc. In someembodiment, the body 4 is formed defining the cutout 8. In otherembodiments, a solid body is formed and the cutout 8 is subsequentlyformed in the solid body using any suitable technique, such as, forexample, milling, drilling, etching, cutting, etc.

At step 104, a sinuous line discontinuity 10 is formed in the body 4extending from a first edge 12 a of the body 4 to the cutout 8. Thesinuous line discontinuity 10 can be formed using any suitabletechnique, such as, for example, etching, stamping, laser cutting,mechanical cutting (milling or other mechanical/contact cutting),water-jet cutting, etc. The sinuous line discontinuity 10 includes oneor more curves 34 a, 34 b and one or more straight line segments 36 a-36c. In some embodiments, the straight line segments 36 a-36 c areparallel and define a plurality of fingers 22 a, 22 b configured toprovide a flex profile substantially similar to the flex profile of thebody 4.

At optional step 106, a surface 5 of the body 4 may be treated to formone or more patterns and/or images on the surface. For example, in someembodiments, the surface of the body 4 may be etched, milled, and/orotherwise processed to form a predetermined pattern, images, pictures,symbols, trademarks, words, pictograms, or other visual indicators. Insome embodiments, at least a portion of the surface 5 may be colorizedusing any suitable colorization process, such as, for example, inking,printing, sintering, etc. The colorization may be in combination withand/or alternative to the formation of one or more patterns or imagesthrough surface treatment. Although steps 102-106 are illustrated asseparate steps, it will be appreciated that steps 102-106 may beintegrated into and/or performed simultaneously one or more of steps102-106, and each combination is within the scope of this disclosure.

At step 108, one or more circuit elements are positioned within thecutout 8 defined in the card core 2. For example, in some embodiments, afirst circuit element 16 a, a plurality of contact pads 24 a, 24 b, anda plurality of leads 28 a, 28 b are formed on a circuit core using anysuitable method. For example, the first circuit element 16 a, aplurality of contact pads 24 a, 24 b, and a plurality of leads 28 a, 28b may include printed circuit elements formed on the circuit core. Thecircuit core is positioned within the cutout 8 such that a first gap 26is defined between the first circuit element 16 a and the edge 9 of thecutout 8 to effectively electromagnetically isolate the first circuitelement 16 a from the material of the body 4. The circuit core and/orthe individual circuit elements may be positioned using any suitablemethod, such as, for example, by hand, by a pick-and-place method,and/or using any other suitable method. In some embodiments, a secondcircuit element 16 b may be positioned within the cutout 8, for example,within a second portion 8 b of the cutout 8 simultaneous with theplacement of the first circuit element 16 a and/or the contact pads 24a, 24 b.

At step 110, a credential core 200 including the card core 2 is formed.The credential core may be formed by coupling a thermoplastic layer 80on a first side of the card core 2, as illustrated in FIG. 5 . Thethermoplastic layer 80 may be simultaneously coupled to the card core 2and/or the circuit elements 16 a positioned therein so as to form acredential core 200. In some embodiments, the thermoplastic layer 80 iscoupled to the card core 2 at a predetermined pressure and/or at apredetermined temperature. The thermoplastic layer 80 may include anysuitable material, such as, for example, a moly-based material (e.g.,molybendum), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a copolymer of vinyl chloride,polyolefin, polycarbonate, polyester, polyamide, acrylonitrile butadienestyrene copolymer (ABS), and the like. Examples of PVC films suitablefor use with the invention are available from suppliers such as KlocknerPentaplast of America, Inc. of Gordonsville, VA; and ShijiazhuangEurochem Co. Ltd of China. Examples of such a vinyl chloride copolymerresin are available from Dow Chemical Company under trade name of UCAR®,and from BASF of Ludwigshafen, Germany under trade name of Laroflex®. Insome embodiments, a material layer 82 may be positioned between thethermoplastic layer 80 and the card core 2. The material layer 82 mayinclude any suitable material, such as, for example, a cross-linkablepolymer, an adhesive, and/or any other suitable material. Examples ofcross-linkable polymers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 9,275,321,granted on Mar. 1, 2016, and entitled “Information Carrying CardComprising a Cross-Linked Polymer Composition, and Method of Making theSame,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

At optional step 112, a credential card may be formed by positioning oneor more additional layers above and/or below the credential core formedat step 210. The additional layers may include any suitable materials orlayers, such as, for example, image layers, sealing layers,thermoplastic layers, metal layers, conductive layers, non-conductivelayers, and/or any other suitable layers. Although embodiments arediscussed herein with respect to a single card core 2, a singlecredential core, and a single credential card, it will be appreciatedthat multiple card cores 2, credential cores, and/or credential cardsmay be formed simultaneously using any suitable process. Variousprocesses for forming a credential card compatible with the metal cardcores disclosed herein are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. Appl.Pub. No. 2016/0152815, published Jun. 2, 2016, and is incorporated byreference herein in its entirety. A credential card including a cardcore, such as a card core 2, disclosed herein can be formed using anysuitable method. For example, in various embodiments, a credential cardincluding a card core 2 may be formed using a cold laminate process,injection molding, milling, laser cutting, water-jet processes, etc.

At optional step 114, a portion of each layer positioned above thecontact pads 24 a, 24 b may be removed to expose the contact pads and asecond circuit element 16 b may be coupled to the contact pads 24 a, 24b. The contact pads 24 a, 24 b may be exposed using any suitableprocess, such as, for example, etching, drilling, milling, etc. Aportion of the credential card or card core may be removed around thecontact pads 24 a, 24 b sufficient to allow a second circuit element 16b, such as a direct contact SoC element 32, to be positioned with asurface parallel to a plane defined by a surface of the credential cardand/or the card core (as illustrated in FIG. 3 ).

FIG. 6 illustrates a card core 2 a having a sinuous line discontinuity10 a including a first straight line segment 36 a and a second straightline segment 36 b defining a single flexible finger 22, in accordancewith some embodiments. The card core 2 a is similar to the card core 2discussed above, and similar description is not repeated herein. Thesinuous line discontinuity 10 a generally defines a curved path (e.g., anotch or channel) extending from an inner edge of the cutout 8 to anouter edge 12 a of the core card 2 a

FIG. 7 illustrates a card core 2 b having an sinuous line discontinuity10 b including an extended straight line portion 42 a and a truncatedstraight line portion 42 b, in accordance with some embodiments. Thecard core 2 b is similar to the metal card core 2 discussed above inconjunction with FIG. 5 , and similar description is not repeatedherein. The card core 2 b includes a sinuous line discontinuity 10 bcoupled to a lower portion of the second portion 8 b of the cutout 8. Afirst substantially straight portion 42 a of the discontinuity 10 b hasa longer length as compared to a first substantially straight portion 36a of the sinuous line discontinuity 10 a of the card core 2 and a secondstraight portion 42 b has a substantially shorter length. The sinuousline discontinuity 10 b further includes a first portion 38 a extendingfrom the cutout 8 and a second portion 38 b extending from the firstedge 12 a, each disposed at a non-parallel and non-perpendicular anglewith respect to each of the edges 12 a, 12 b, 14 a, 14 b of the cardcore 2 b.

FIG. 8 illustrates a card core 2 c including a straight linediscontinuity 44, in accordance with some embodiments. The card core 2 cis similar to the card cores 2-2 b described above, and similardescription is not repeated herein. The card core 2 c replaces thesinuous line discontinuity 10 with a straight line discontinuity 44extending from an edge 9 of the cutout 8 to an edge 12 a of the cardcore 2 c. The straight line discontinuity 44 includes a thicknessselected to effectively isolate a first side 20 a of the discontinuity44 from a second side 20 b without substantially weakening the structureof the card core 2. For example, in various embodiments, the straightline discontinuity 44 includes a width (e.g., distance from first side20 a to second side 20 b) of at least 300 microns, at least 500 microns,at least 700 microns, 300-900 microns, and/or any other suitable width.

FIG. 9 illustrates a card core 2 d including a cutout 58 extending to anedge 14 a of the card core 2 d, in accordance with some embodiments. Thecard core 2 d is substantially similar to the card core 2 describedabove, and similar description is not repeated herein. The card core 2 dincludes a body 52 defining a cutout 58 including a first portion 58 aand a second portion 58 b. The body 52 extends substantially defined bya first short edge 12 a, a second short edge 12 b, a first long edge 14a, and a second long edge 14 b. The cutout 58 extends from the firstlong edge 14 a into the body 52 such that the cutout 58 defines aportion of the first long edge 14 a of the card. As discussed above withrespect to card core 2, one or more circuit elements may be positionedwithin any portion of the cutout 58 such that a gap (see FIGS. 2-3 )sufficient to electrically isolate the circuit element from the cardcore 2 d is maintained.

In the illustrated embodiment, the cutout 58 includes a first portion 58a having a first rectangular geometry extending between a first edgeportion 60 a of the card core 2 d and a second edge portion 60 b and asecond portion 58 b having a second rectangular geometry continuous withthe first portion 58 a. Although specific embodiments are illustrated,it will be appreciated that the cutout 58 can include any number ofportions defining any number of geometries, and such embodiments arewithin the scope of this disclosure.

In some embodiments, a portion of the cutout 58, such as the firstportion 58 a, defines an embossable area 62. The embossable area 62includes a portion of a card core 2 d and/or a finished credential cardincluding the card core 2 d that may be subjected to known embossingtechniques. For example, FIG. 10 illustrates a finished credential card70 (i.e., a credit card) including an overlay layer 72 and an embossing74 disposed within the embossable area 62. FIG. 10 further illustrates acircuit element 76, such as a direct contact SoC element, disposedwithin the second portion 58 b of the cutout 58. The finished credentialcard 70 may be formed using any known technique, such as, for example,the method 100 discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 4 .

Although the subject matter has been described in terms of exemplaryembodiments, it is not limited thereto. Rather, the appended claimsshould be construed broadly, to include other variants and embodiments,which may be made by those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A card core, comprising: a body defining a cutout and a sinuous line discontinuity, wherein the cutout includes an opening in the body defined by an edge sized and configured to define a gap between an element positioned in the cutout and the edge to electromagnetically isolate the element from the body, wherein the sinuous line discontinuity comprises a channel defined by the body including at least one curved portion and at least one straight portion, wherein the sinuous line discontinuity extends from an outer surface of the body to the cutout.
 2. The card core of claim 1, wherein the sinuous line discontinuity defines at least one flexible finger configured to provide a flex profile similar to a continuous portion of the body when a force is applied to the card core.
 3. The card core of claim 1, wherein the at least one curved portion defines a 180° curve.
 4. The card core of claim 1, wherein the sinuous line discontinuity defines a smooth repetitive oscillating curve.
 5. The card core of claim 1, wherein the cutout includes a first portion having a first geometry and a second portion having a second geometry.
 6. The card core of claim 5, wherein the first geometry and the second geometry are partially overlapping.
 7. The card core of claim 5, wherein the first portion of the cutout is sized and configured to receive a first element and the second portion of the cutout is sized and configured to receive a second element.
 8. The card core of claim 7, wherein the first circuit element is an antenna and the second circuit elements is a direct-contact System-on-Chip (SoC) element.
 9. The card core of claim 1, comprising a plurality of contact pads positioned within the cutout.
 10. The card core of claim 1, wherein the body comprises a conductive metal material.
 11. A credential card, comprising: a card core, comprising: a body defining a cutout and a sinuous line discontinuity, wherein the cutout includes an opening in the body defined by an edge, wherein the sinuous line discontinuity comprises a channel defined by the body including at least one curved portion and at least one straight portion, wherein the sinuous line discontinuity extends from an outer surface of the body to the cutout; a first material layer disposed over a first side of the card core; and a second material layer disposed over a second side of the card core, wherein the first material layer is coupled to the second material layer in a position substantially aligned with the cutout defined by the body of the card core.
 12. The credential card of claim 11, wherein the discontinuity comprises a sinuous line discontinuity including at least one curved portion and at least one straight line portion.
 13. The credential card of claim 12, wherein the at least one curved portion and the at least one straight line portion together define at least one flexible finger configured to provide a flex profile similar to a continuous portion of the body when a force is applied to the credential card.
 14. The credential card of claim 12, wherein the sinuous line discontinuity is configured to distribute torque pressure evenly across a surface area of the credential card to avoid cracking or breaking of the first material layer or the second material layer when a force is applied to the credential card.
 15. The credential card of claim 11, wherein the cutout defined by the card body includes a first portion having a first geometry and a second portion having a second geometry.
 16. The credential card of claim 11, comprising a plurality of contact pads positioned within the cutout.
 17. The credential card of claim 11, wherein the element is selected from the group consisting of an antenna and a system-on-chip element.
 18. A card core, comprising: a body defining a cutout and a discontinuity, wherein the cutout includes an opening in the body defined by an edge, wherein the discontinuity includes a channel defined by the body extending from an outer surface of the body to the cutout, wherein the cutout includes a first portion having a first geometry and a second portion having a second geometry, wherein the cutout is sized and configured to define a gap between an element positioned in the cutout and the edge to electromagnetically isolate the element from the body.
 19. The card core of claim 18, wherein the discontinuity comprises a sinuous line discontinuity. 